


Dearly Beloved

by TheNightFury



Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Gift Fic, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-30
Updated: 2017-05-30
Packaged: 2018-11-06 15:31:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11039064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheNightFury/pseuds/TheNightFury
Summary: Kallus and Zeb deal with being cut off from communicating with one another.Set Pre Through Imperial Eyes, companion piece to The Goal is Not to Fall by White_Rainbow





	Dearly Beloved

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Goal Is Not To Fall](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8892910) by [White_Rainbow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/White_Rainbow/pseuds/White_Rainbow). 
  * Inspired by [The Goal Is Not To Fall](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8892910) by [White_Rainbow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/White_Rainbow/pseuds/White_Rainbow). 



> A huge shout out to White-Rainbow for inspiring this fic! This is kind of a companion piece to their fic The Goal is Not to Fall. Please go read it if you enjoy this and haven't read it because it is amazing.

Zeb anxiously tossed and turned in his bed, unable to fall asleep as he waited for morning when Ezra, Kanan, and Rex would leave on their mission to pull Kallus out. He loathed that he wasn’t going with them to save him, despite knowing it was better this way. He knew it would be nearly impossible for him to sneak in, knew they stood a better chance of getting everyone out alive if it was just Ezra who went in. But no matter how many times he told himself this, he couldn’t shake the terror he felt at being left behind to wait for Kallus to return. 

Subconsciously Zeb reached down to the pendant around his neck, tugging it out from under his jumpsuit to clutch it in his hand, silently praying to Ashla to keep Kallus safe until they got him out. If he held onto it long enough, he could almost feel closer to Kallus, watching over him, keeping him safe. It was normally enough to help sooth his nerves. Tonight however it only made his anxiety worse. His mind played the worst case scenarios, each one worse than the last, all ending with Kallus’s brutal death at the hands of Thrawn followed by his friends leaving him alone. 

Zeb turned away from the door, fighting down the intense urge to steal the Phantom II, find the ship Kallus was on, sweep him off his feet and leave the burning ship in their wake as they made a daring escape back to the Rebellion. He knew it was ridiculous, but he needed to know Kallus was safe. In the span of a year, Kallus had gone from his mortal enemy to someone Zeb loved. Someone Zeb couldn’t imagine living without. He didn’t think he could ever forgive himself if something happened to him. 

Zeb let a heavy sigh, desperately trying to stem the flow of thoughts about Kallus. He could imagine how perfectly he would fit in his arms, the soft feeling of his hair between his fingers-

With a growl of frustration Zeb rolled onto his back, wishing he could finally sleep. As long as Kallus was in the Empire’s grip however, Zeb was certain sleep would allude him. 

He didn’t know what he’d do if anything happened to Kallus. It was painfully ironic, something Zeb was well aware of but couldn’t bring himself to care. Kallus was a good, honorable man. He would do anything in the name of peace and justice, was willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good of the galaxy with no expectation of being thanked or forgiven for it. There was no denying he did horrible things in the name of the Empire, but he also did those things in the same of peace and justice, things he thought the Empire stood for and for very good reasons. Kallus was a good man, he just wished everyone would see it. Wished Kallus could see it. 

Zeb glanced back down in the carefully carved pendant in his hand, vividly remembering each careful cut into the smooth surface of both the one he wore and the one Kallus wore, mind wondering back to the last conversation he had with Kallus.

_Good because there is something I need to tell you._

_Yeah?_

_Yes. Something I would have said earlier had I known of it._

A part of Zeb was desperate to know what Kallus wanted to tell him, another was certain he already knew. He could almost hear Kallus uttering the words to the pledge in Lasan with his silky voice. He wasn’t sure Kallus even knew how to speak Lasat, but he couldn’t imagine him saying it in basic. He knew Kallus was going to pledge himself to Zeb, and though he hadn’t uttered the words yet, he was going to and that was all that mattered to Zeb. 

Absentmindedly he traced the Z&K carved onto the wood. He’d poured every ounce of love he held for Kallus into carving them. They were connected, he would make it back to the safety of Zeb’s arms where he would never let go. Zeb brought the pendent to his lips and gently kissed it, he had to believe Ezra would get Kallus out and bring him back to his arms. 

_Kal I promise, once you’re in my arms again I will never let you go._  
\-----------

Across the Galaxy, safely aboard the _Lawbringer_ Kallus slept restlessly, mind plagued  
with thoughts of Zeb. He wanted nothing more than to abandon the Empire, leaving the burning remains of the _Lawbringer_ behind him on a stolen shuttle back to a cheering Rebellion and race into Zeb’s waiting arms. 

It was a fantasy that he could never live however. As much as he longed to be back in Zeb’s arms, he knew the work he was doing as Fulcrum was far too important. He was getting vital information to the Rebellion that was helping save lives, he couldn’t just abandon that because he missed Zeb and wanted to be with him. 

Kallus gently tugged his necklace out from under his shirt, staring at the carefully carved Z&K on the smooth wood. 

He could almost imagine the feeling of Zeb’s warm arms tightly wrapped around him, holding him close, could imagine himself whispering the words of the pledge to Zeb and Zeb responding. He could perfectly imagine it all, but it would not happen for a long long time….if ever. Kallus tried not to think about that, focusing on instead doing everything he could in his power to make Zeb proud. With each passing day it was getting harder and harder to get the willpower to continue fighting. He was alone and tired. He just wanted to hear from Zeb one last time…

No, he wouldn’t endanger Zeb. He would never do that to Zeb. It was hard, so so hard to notbe able to speak to Zeb, but it was for the best for both of them. He just needed to keep fighting for the day they could safely be together again. Even if that day would never come, Kallus would keep moving forward, working as if that day would happen. If he didn’t have something he was fighting for he knew he would fall apart. So he would fight; for the Rebellion, for justice, for Zeb.

_Zeb….even if I will never see you again, I swear I will keep fighting for you….for us. For all eternity._


End file.
